


Rome

by Caedmon



Series: Amelioration in Budapest [8]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Clint Barton Feels, Clint Feels, Clintasha - Freeform, F/M, Natasha Feels, Natasha Romanov Feels, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Romance, Rome - Freeform, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:33:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2130363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caedmon/pseuds/Caedmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Natasha are on their Roman vacation. Natasha tries to work up the nerve to tell Clint what she needs to tell him and Clint gives Natasha a birthday gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rome

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of Rome. There's at least one more part. Probably two. I feel like it gets better with each part, hopefully you will too. The next part is written and just needs to be typed up and edited. The part after is drafted in my head but not written out yet. Give me a day or so, I'll get it up.
> 
>  
> 
> _zovetnaya - beloved_

Natasha had always been good with words. She'd never had any problems getting her point across, so she was a bit mystified as to why she couldn't find the words to tell Clint she'd read all of his records and believed in him, that she no longer truly doubted him. Ever since her jog and her talk with him - ever since the dance in the kitchen, she'd wanted to tell him. She'd had plenty of opportunities, but for whatever reason, she hadn't been able to tell him while they'd toured Budapest. Now they were in Rome about to tour Italy on the anniversary of the day he'd saved her life - her "birthday". Surely, she could find an especially picturesque spot - a bridge or a fountain - confess what she'd done and the fact that she believed in him, and then kiss him like she was dying to do? It would be cliche and cheesy but romantic. And finally - _finally_ , she'd kiss him. She needed to, badly, and she felt like he probably wanted to kiss her too. 

He was holding back, though. He was taking it slow. As much as she wanted to appreciate it and normally would, in this instance she didn't. She had always wanted to be his, to be Hawkeye's girl. That sounded barbaric and normally she'd likely punch any mouth it came out of, except his. The thought of him saying that to her - of him calling her that made her shiver.

"You okay? Do I need to put the car's top up?"

"Hmm?"

"You shivered. Are you cold?"

_Oh God, she'd actually shivered._

"Oh, no, just a stray thought got me." She smiled and thought. She may be blushing but wasn't sure - and didn't really want to know for sure.

He grinned wolfishly. "Care to share with the class?"

She really was blushing now, but decided to play along - to a point. "Not now, but maybe later."

Clint looked sidelong at her long enough that when he looked back at the road he had to jerk the wheel a bit to straighten up, and Natasha laughed. 

oOo

Natasha sat at the restaurant that night, thinking that this was the last chance to tell him for this day. All day she'd lost her nerve or missed her chance, the last time being at the boutique where she'd bought the cocktail dress for dinner when she asked him to zip her up. It would have been so easy to turn and kiss him then, just so easy, but she hadn't and she didn't know why. Even now she was daydreaming about what it would have been like if she had just turned in the circle of his arms, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Was she waiting for him to make the first move? God, had she turned into a teenager?

She picked at her tiramisu while Clint watched her. "Sweetheart? You okay?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm okay. Just a little tired. We did a lot today."

"Well, you need to help me with this amaretti. I certainly didn't get it for myself."

She tittered. "You got the chocolate for me?"

He smiled warmly at her. "Of course. The birthday girl deserves cake, after all."

Natasha lowered her eyes. "I thought you'd forgotten."

He reached across the table to take her hand. "There's not a chance in hell I could forget this day. I've never forgotten, and I've never regretted it. Not for a moment. It was the best decision I've ever made in my life. This day is as much a celebration for me as it is for you in a lot of ways."

She reached up and hurriedly wiped her eyes, then laughed without looking up. "I bet you regretted it for a while at first. I was so mean to you. I did everything I could to make you miserable and get you to turn me loose." She laughed again. "You had the patience of a saint."

He gave her hand a little squeeze then let go. "I saw something in you, even if no one else could see it yet. Phil could see it, though. He loved you so much, Nat. He always thought of you as a daughter." 

Natasha's eyes watered again and he spoke to get her attention. "Hey, I know this is probably weird for you, but I love you, too. I don't think of you as a daughter, though, like, at all. " She gave a short snicker. "And this cake is getting cold, so you should probably dig in."

Natasha laughed again and reached across the table with her fork. Now was her chance, she should tell him everything. They were at a five-star hotel, dining in the restaurant. It was the end of her birthday in the most romantic city in the world to her. She needed to tell him now that she trusted him. That she loved him.

"Clint -"

"Would you like your birthday gift?"

She tried to smile, frustrated at his timing. "You got me a gift?"

"Of course I did."

He reached under the table and pulled out a long, narrow box, handing it to her.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Is this an appropriate gift to open at the table in such an establishment?"

He chuckled. "It is. Open it."

She opened the paper, not tearing but unfolding in her usual meticulous way, he sniggered. Their first Christmas together, she had never gotten a gift before. She'd had no idea it was okay to tear the paper, so she carefully unfolded it. Clint thought this was hilarious and corrected her, but she was so amused by his reaction that she had unfolded the wrapping paper on gifts ever since just to watch him laugh. He always thought she was funny when she did this and that it was a quirk of hers, but the truth was that she only did it to please him. 

When Natasha got to the box she lifted the lid and found nine long stem ceramic roses. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"Originally I wanted to get you flowers, one for each year since I found you, but I realized they'd die so soon and that's a bad metaphor. I saw these in the window of an antique shop while you were dress shopping today and I bought all she had. I decided to give you nine today and I'll give you one every birthday or, you know," he looked a bit sheepish, "if there's another special occasion or something. If I ever run out, I'll find some more somewhere. They're ceramic, so they'll last forever. But if you don't like them for some reason..." he trailed off.

Natasha was speechless, it was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever received.

"Clint, they're beautiful. I love them, thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

_Tell him now, Natasha. Do it!_

She opened her mouth to tell him, to spill her guts, but the waiter came by to ask them if they wanted a check or to have it billed to their room. Clint said, "Actually, come back in five minutes." He smiled at Natasha. "I'll be back in a moment, don't run off," he excused himself, and left.

Natasha drank an improper amount of wine while he was gone, trying to work up some courage. She reached over to delicately touch her roses every now and then, marveling at his thoughtfulness. _Coward! Now is the moment. Do it!_

Clint came back to the table, smiling, and the waiter appeared as Natasha opened her mouth. She sighed. _I give up._

He told the waiter to charge it to their room under his assumed name, then smiled at Natasha. "Let me show you to our rooms, bella."

oOo

Clint had gotten the penthouse suite for them, and Natasha had not seen many rooms more beautiful than this one. The sitting room was sumptuous, decorated in burgundy and tan with state of the art entertainment equipment. A bathroom that could better be described as a spa sported a hot tub, bathtub, rainfall shower, double sink - all done in granite and tile. The two bedrooms were luxurious; the master bedroom boasting a vaulted ceiling with something akin to buttresses painted to match the mural on the ceiling. Natasha, who had seen many penthouses in her life, looked around openly in awe. The smaller bedroom, obviously intended for a maid or bodyguard, was much less elegant but still quite luxurious. Clint had had his bag brought into this room. 

"I hope you don't mind me staying in the same suite. If you do, I'll get another room. I just had to get a room quickly -" 

"It's fine," she rushed to assure him. "Truly."

"I, uh, I think there's wine in the fridge, and the TV gets every channel under the sun, plus we can access Stark's database from here. Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure," she said, smiling brightly at him. "I'd like to change, though," indicating the cocktail dress she'd bought for dinner. "Can you give me ten minutes?"

"Absolutely. I'll make popcorn and find movies."

Natasha went into the palatial bedroom, looking through her clothes, trying to pick out some pajamas or lounge clothes that were casual but cute. She settled on capri length yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt with a stretched neck - the same kind of thing she'd had on yesterday. She carefully pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail, making sure it looked messy but cute, checking her reflection several times before heading out into the living room. She tried not to smile when Clint tried not to stare.

"Did you find a movie?" she asked.

"I got into Stark's database. What type of movie are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm...something funny."

"A chick flick?"

"Nah, I won't do that to you."

"It's your birthday, sweetheart."

"Let's watch True Lies and make fun of all the things they're doing wrong. That's always fun."

Clint chuckled. "You're on."

oOo

Nat had snuggled up to him and he had put his arm around her almost before his back hit the back of the couch. She put her right hand on his abdomen and only moved it reach across him for her wine or into his lap for the popcorn. Her head never moved from its spot nuzzled in between his shoulder and neck. He felt her breath tickling him there, and was grateful for the popcorn bowl in his lap. 

For his part, Clint's right hand stayed on Natasha's arm or hair, occasionally rubbing her or stroking her lightly with the backs of his fingers. If he wanted some of his wine or some popcorn, he used his left hand. There was no way he was giving up the chance to hold her, to touch her. 

The movie was a little less than halfway through when Clint realized Natasha was fast asleep. He didn't do anything about it, he just held her. The movie played on, but it no longer held any of his interest. His sole focus was on the gently snoring redhead snuggled in his arms. 

Her hand had slipped lower on his belly, and he picked it up gently, touching her fingers softly, realizing the question of trust was all but answered. Natasha was the most cautious woman on the planet, she simply would not let her guard down enough to fall asleep in the same hotel room with someone she didn't trust, much less on top of someone she didn't trust. Further, she couldn't be strapping in those yoga pants. It was possible that she had a weapon on her under the t-shirt, but he highly doubted it. He knew where she wore them, and those places were up against him. He felt nothing. What's more, she knew he knew those things. Clint wondered if these were her ways of telling him she was trusting him and letting him in, without words. 

He stroked her hair, enjoying the moment, and wondered how to ask her about the necklace. She'd never mentioned it, but he hadn't seen her without it since she came to his hotel room a few nights ago. He was dying to know. He didn't doubt it was for him, but he really wanted to hear her say it. 

Clint played with her fingers and smiled to himself, pondering. Would she want him? Could he give her a future? What kind of future would she want? Clint closed his eyes and prayed that she would want him, and told God he'd do anything and give her everything if He'd just throw Clint a bone. Then he chuckled to himself - if God was going to hear him, Rome was probably the best place to try to talk to Him, since it was closest he was going to get to God.

He held her through the movie, caressing her gently and softly holding her hand until the end credits finished and the menu screen popped back up. He realized he had to wake her up before she woke on her own and thought he was crazy. Clint nudged her gently. "Nat?"

"Mmmph."

"You've been asleep, sweetheart. Let's get you in the bed."

"Mmmph. No."

"Come on, Nat."

She nuzzled closer into him and muttered something utterly incomprehensible; Clint wasn't even sure what language she was using. He enjoyed another long minute before shifting his body and lifting her bridal style. 

"Clint?" she murmured sleepily as he carried her, "What's goin' on?"

"You fell asleep. I'm putting you to bed."

"Oh, mmmph K."

He snickered as he reached the bed and set her down partially, yanking the covers down with one hand before positioning her for sleep with minimal help from Natasha. She settled into the angel-soft pillows with a little sigh as he pulled the coverlet over her. Clint looked down at her, her face so smooth and peaceful in sleep, and bent down.

He pressed a soft kiss to her brow and said, "I love you, my _zovetnaya._ Sleep." He kissed her again and turned to leave, not seeing the tiny smile that appeared in her sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Spade a Spade  
> \- Andy Davis
> 
> Right in front of our face  
> It's there when we say goodbye  
> There's an elephant in the room  
> We don't look him in the eye  
> I keep saying
> 
> I think it's time  
> It's time to play our hands  
> If it's love let's say it is  
> And we shouldn't be afraid  
> To call a spade a spade
> 
> Run to the powerlines  
> Tie up our shoes tonight  
> Tell me what have we been waiting for  
> When we both know it's right  
> I keep saying
> 
> And tell me what if we never did  
> Think of the things we'd miss  
> Let's show our cards and  
> Let our hearts chase after this


End file.
